With the aim of reducing tire abrasion and deepening knowledge in this field, Michelin has developed a system for the analysis of light particles emitted, “SAMPLE”. This allows the particles closest to the tires to be captured, sorted, counted and qualified with high levels of precision and reproducibility. This analysis system, presented at Tire Technology Expo 2024paves the way for tires with wear particles that are totally bio-assimilatable by nature.
Michelin present at the Tire Technology Expo 2024
There are questions being raised about tire and road wear particles. For this reason, the use of reliable measurements, reproducible and standardized is essential and will be a fundamental step to better understand the environmental impact of these wear particles to innovate and design new solutions.
Tire wear particles are on average the size of a human hair (100 μm) and form a complex mixture composed of equal parts of a combination of tire rubber (50%), minerals and other road components (50%).
The data presented by the Michelin study
Lo studio Michelin has allowed us to better quantify the number of these particles that contribute to air pollution, i.e PM10 e PM2.5, also known as fine dust. Until now, these data had never been verified by such precise experimental measurements. The first results show that, among the particles emitted by tires, on average 1.3% are PM10 and 0.16% are PM2.5 and can remain suspended in the air.
This precise quantification is important both for Michelin, to increase understanding of the links between tyre, road and driving style, and for the official bodies responsible for estimating city pollution. This data is essential for designing their simulation models for measuring air quality.
In the end, Michelin has made available to the tire and automotive industryETRMA (European Tire & Rubber Manufacturers' Association) this system for the analysis of light particles emitted. ETRMA will also conduct a larger-scale measurement campaign with the help of an independent third party. It will be launched during 2024 for a duration of approximately 18 months.
Tire Technology Expo 2024, Michelin's approach is complementary to the Euro7 standard
The Euro7 regulation just adopted by the European Commission will soon set the regulatory thresholds for tire abrasion in order to reduce the quantities of fine dust emitted in Europe. This regulation has its own test method to quantify all tire and road wear particles, in terms of grams per km per tonne transported.
It allows you to measure overall emissions on a large scale for all tires on the market. Those that do not meet the standard can no longer be marketed. Michelin, a long-time supporter of this regulation, is committed to a complementary approach, deepening its understanding of this issue.
